10 Best Car Battery Chargers 2019 (Review and Buying Guide)

Who doesn’t love the warm weather? It’s the perfect time to pull out your sexy convertible, put the top down, put on your shades and let your hair blow in the wind! But there’s one small problem. You put the key in the ignition and blgggg… your battery’s dead! Guess it’s time to invest in a battery charger.

With the cold month’s coming up, your show cars are about to enter their hibernation for the winter. So now’s as good of time as ever to invest in a quality charger. And just your luck, as today, we’ll take a look at the best battery chargers the market has to offer.

Picking Up the Best Battery Chargers: Buying Guide

You’d be surprised to see all the different battery chargers you can buy today.

And honestly, it’s hard to say if they even necessarily do the same job. After all, some are great for trickling while others get your battery cranking in only a few hours. So with that said, how do you find the best battery charger for your vehicle?

It’s not a simple answer. But here’s a quick guide to help you get a quality battery for your money.

Charger vs Jump Starter: What’s the Difference?

So, you probably have a jump starter sitting in your glove box that you got as a white elephant gift last Christmas. So surely, you don’t even need a car charger, right?

Not so fast! Before you hold off on buying a battery charger, it’ll help to know that chargers and starters are two entirely different tools.

Chargers: There’s a good chance you already know what these are. After all, what do you do when your laptop or phone dies? You recharge the battery!

Well, it’s similar logic with your car battery. Its life gets low, so you hook it up to a charger for a few hours, and then your battery’s cranking like new! There are a few different ways of going about charging, but we’ll get to that later. However, the bottom line is that chargers excel in bringing batteries back to life that you’d otherwise write off as goners.

So then, jump starters are more of a short-term solution. In short, it sends a surge of amps into your battery to kick start it usually in a matter of minutes (if not seconds). From here, just let your car run for 30 or so minutes and a healthy alternator takes care of the rest.

So in simple terms, jump starters prevent you from being stranded in a Jimmy Johns parking lot the day your battery decides to stop cranking. But they won’t keep your non-daily batteries fresh during their winter sleep.

Don’t Forget the Volts

Most of today’s cars run with a 12-volt battery. And this is a good thing since most chargers only work with 12-volt batteries. So in most cases, this isn’t too big of a deal.

However, if you drive a car with a 6-volt battery, then you’ll need to buy a special charger. But not to worry—if you need a charger to power multiple toys, you can find plenty that’ll work with both 12-volts and 6-volts. Usually, most of your classic cars will fall into the 6-volt category. So be sure to check the volts before making a full charger investment.

Safe and Sound

You really can’t beat safety, can you? Of course not! And thankfully, you’ll find quite a few chargers out there that’ll offer plenty of features to keep you safe and prevent any disasters.

Reverse polarity warning is one of the most common. After all, we all make mistakes from time to time. And this nifty feature lets you know when you’re hooking the charger up backward. It’s a big deal because it prevents sparking and even a possible (albeit mega-rare) explosion. With that said, it’s a great safety feature to look out for.

Other features include spark proof clamps and short-circuit proof chargers. The names say it all here. And if you’re looking for a touch of extra safety, you’ll definitely want to opt for them.

Automatic charging/ Automatically Easier Life

When it comes to trickle charging, automatic chargers will make your life easier—a lot easier.

As we all know, overcharging your battery is bad—even fatal for the battery in some cases. So with basic battery chargers, you’ll need to remove the battery the instant it reaches 100% charge (or sooner).

But with automatic chargers, there’s no need to babysit. Instead, the charger itself will either monitor the trickling of your battery or simply shut the charger off upon reaching a full charge.

Speaking of Safety, How Do You Safely Use a Battery Charger?

This question varies from charger to charger. But the gist is usually along these lines:

Start with the charger off.

Connect the red cable to the positive terminal (+) and the black cable to the negative terminal (-).

Then turn the charger on.

Pretty simple, right? If anything ever deviates from these steps, the instruction manual will usually let you know. So read up!

What is Trickle Charging?

When searching for the best battery charger, you’ll undoubtedly come across the term trickling. And if you’re a car collector, this is a magical term you’ll want to learn immediately.

Here’s the simple version. Trickling refers to a charger charging a battery at the same rate that the battery discharges. So in basic terms, this means your battery will be full whenever you use it again. Thus it’s perfect for any non-daily cars you own.

On a final note, don’t confuse trickling with float charging. Floating simply means the charger stops charging the battery after it receives a full charge.

What about Quick Charges?

On paper, a quick charge sounds like the ultimate feature. After all, what could go wrong with getting a battery charged in 4 hours instead of 12?

Well, before you get too excited, there’s one caveat here. Keep in mind that fast charges require an increase in voltage and amperage. And when your battery receives this increased power, it gets hot. And long story short, excessive heat damages batteries.

So, sure, a quick charge is a lifesaver (or at least a job saver) in a pinch. But it’s something you’ll want to use sparingly to avoid battery damage.

How Long Will It Take for Your Battery to Receive a Full Charge?

Great news! There’s a super easy trick to this one. Simply divide the amp hour rating of the battery by the charger rating (in amps). Then add an extra 10% of the total to the end of that and you’ve got your answer!

When you think of chargers, affordable might not be the first word to come to mind. But this Deltran Battery Tender 021-0123 will keep your batteries charged without dealing any heavy blows to your wallet.

We all know safety comes first. And this Battery Tender 021-0123 Junior 12V, 0.75A Battery Charger does a fantastic job of keeping you and your cars safe. For starters, you’ll get the typical spark proof and reverse polarity protection. But what takes the cake here is how the charger will shut itself off if you start any vehicle during a charge! We tried it with an ATV—the instant that engine powered on, the charger powered off!

If that’s not enough, the Battery Tender 021-0123 still performs its magic like a pro in cold weather. We tried this out with a Honda S2000 battery during our last Colorado winter. And to our surprise, the convertible JDM awoke in the spring with its battery running good as new! So this is perfect for your non-dailies.

And to tie it all together, you get all this stellar performance at a great price. After all, why throw away your money on a powerful charger if all you need is 0.75 A? It’s without a doubt an impressive bargain!

NOCO Genius G3500 6V/12V 3.3A UltraSafe Smart Battery Charger

Durable, waterproof, and charges 6V and 12V batteries? That’s a combination you don’t find every day. And it’s perfect if you’re a collector who needs to keep your 6V and 12V batteries fresh year round.

Starting off, the NOCO Genius G3500 fits perfectly in any garage. There’s even a rubberized base to provide slip-resistance. So you won’t need to worry too much about it falling off shelves or inside your car’s hood!

What’s also great is that the NOCO Genius G3500 is pretty resistant to the elements. We tried this one out by charging an ATV battery in the snow. Low and behold, the battery reached 100% with no problems at all! So if you need to work outside, the NOCO Genius G3500 is for you!

Perhaps the biggest standout feature here is the repair mode. We tried out some 12 V batteries that we more or less thought were done for with about 2-volts remaining. But surprisingly, the NOCO Genius G3500 resurrected them in only a few hours! So give the repair mode a shot before recycling or trading in your batteries.

CTEK 56-864 is safe to use in all climate situations. Credit: Amazon.com

As is typical of CTEK, you’ll get that classic “snowflake” mode. And this is especially important since this is how you’ll charge your AGM batteries. During our tests, we tried it out on an Optima RedTop and to our surprise, the AGM charged in about 12 hours.

What’s more is that despite all these CTEK modes, the CTEK (56-864) MUS4.3 battery charger never made any noise during our tests . Perhaps it was the lack of a fan, but it’s pretty rare to find a charger this silent. So it earns some bonus points when you need to charge overnight and you hear no echoes of a fan in your garage waking you up at 2am.

Lastly, the CTEK (56-864) brings some impressive reconditioning to the table. Mainly, we tried an Audi TT battery on its last legs. And after waiting a day, the battery powered the German car like the day we drove it off the lot! So be sure to see what the CTEK (56-864) can do for your ultra-low batteries.

Pros

Silent

Compatible with AGM batteries

Optimized for the cold weather

One of the best reconditioners out there

Battery diagnosis feature

Cons

Occasionally to hot to touch after use

Pricey for its size.

What’s it Used For?

This battery is ideal for charging and trickling Lead Acid batteries—especially AGMs.

Schumacher packs quite the rugged battery with this design. Plus, you’ll get a copious amount of amount of amps alongside an ultra-fast fast charge.

At a Glance

Weight: 17.3 lbs

Dimensions: 14 x 14 x 20 inches

Amperage: 200 A

Voltage: 12 volts (6 and 12-volt battery support)

Safety: Temperature overload protection

Power Cord Length: 6 ft

Power Cable Length: 6 ft

Quick Charge: 40 amp fast charge

Brand: Schumacher

One of the initial things you’ll notice about the Schumacher SE-4022 is the ability to fast charge . And at 40 amps, we were able to get a full charge from a lead-acid battery with in a quick 3 hours! So it’s definitely a great choice when you find yourself in a pinch.

Also, just looking at the spec sheet, you’ll find that the Schumacher SE-4022 device is pretty powerful. But we decided to put it to the test by seeing how well it could top off a Kenworths semi’s battery. And surprisingly, it worked! So there’s no doubt that it’ll charge most batteries out there.

And lastly, the timer on the Schumacher SE-4022 is definitely a feature that’ll get a lot of your time. It’s in place so you can shut off the charger at any specified time frame. In other words, you won’t need to babysit this charger to prevent overcharging.

What really stands out with the Battery Tender 022-0165-DL-WH is the fact that it’s really two chargers in one. And trust us, this is perfect if you’re limited with space. We were able to mount this inside a trailer and it’s hardly noticeable. And if you’re a car collector, this is perfect for saving space inside your showroom!

Also, these are the type of chargers that work great in all four seasons. We tested the Battery Tender 022-0165-DL-WH Battery Management System mostly in the summer, and it still topped off our ATV batteries like a pro in 100-degree weather!

Lastly, we found that the Battery Tender 022-0165-DL-WH will even power SLA and soft gel cell batteries just as well as any other type. So if you work with portable electronics or medical equipment like portable X-RAY machines, this charger can be a game changer!

Upon setting your eyes on the Potek 2/10/20 Amp Smart Battery Charger, you’ll immediately notice its unique design. It’s compact enough to easily fit in any garage. But the carrying handle makes it quite portable as well. We had no problems moving this around our garage throughout the day!

Also, the Potek 2/10/20 Amp Smart Battery Charger is exceptional at resuscitating dead batteries. We found this out when we accidentally left a phone charger plugged into our Audi TT’s cigarette lighter. So we hooked the charger up to the battery and within a day, the car started cranking again! It’s a simple and easy process as well! Too bad other chargers can’t make it this simple!

Another nice feature here is the ability to manually> adjust your amp output. By default, this charger starts at 2 amps and gradually increases to 20 during a charge. But if you’re in a rush, you can set it to 20 amps out of the gate and get a full battery in 4 or so hours.

Schumacher SE-5212A 2/10/50 Amp Automatic Handheld Battery Charger

It’s not every day that you’ll find a 50 amp automatic charger. But Schumacher delivers with a compact and durable design.

At a Glance

Weight: 10.5 lbs

Dimensions: 5.2 x 10.5 x 8.2 inches

Voltage: 12 volts

Charging type: Automatic

Durability: Steel case

Display: LED Indicators

Amperage: 50/10/2

Brand: Schumacher

Right out of the box, you’ll see that this Schumacher SE-5212A battery charger feels super durable. After it’s protected by a case of steel. During our tests, we accidentally dropped a flashlight and a smartphone on it a couple times and found no damage or dents. So it’s safe for any garage!

What’s also nice is that this is an automatic 50-amp charger. As a whole, that combination isn’t necessarily common. But at the same time, it’s nice to have a powerful charger switch to trickle mode on its own.

And lastly, for all its 50 amps, th e Schumacher SE-5212A is pretty compact in size. So again, it’ll fit in your garage or workshop just fine. And for us, carrying it between vehicles and batteries never felt too tiring or exhausting.

Got a lot of batteries to charge? Then the CTEK (56-353) will help you power through that load. And with 4 different available charge modes, there’s definitely something for every type of battery out there!

With unique 8 step charging system, we can use this charger to test battery condition and, charge and maintain to ensure maximum battery life and performance. Credit: Amazon.com

One of the best features of the CTEK (56-353) is without a doubt its 4 different charging modes. So there’s something for every situation here. We found the snowflake works great in the cold. Meanwhile, the supply mode did the job when we needed to recharge a couple golf cart batteries. Thus, it’s great for those times you don’t want to overload with volts.

Going back to that snowflake mode, it’s one of the best (out of any battery charger) for charging AGMs . We gave it a try with an Optima RedTop 34/78. And surprisingly, it topped off the battery and got it cranking like new! So it’s a pretty solid choice for just about any AGM out there.

And lastly, everything about the CTEK (56-353) ispretty straight-forward and easy to use. The pictures under the LEDs all make enough sense. Plus, getting a battery charged really is as simple as connecting the cables to a charger!

Chargers don’t get easier than this Diehard 71321 charger. In fact, even if you’ve never used a charger before, you’ll feel right at home using this one!

At a Glance

Charging Type: Multi-stage automatic charging

Amperage: 6 A

Voltage: 6V and 12V charges

Dimensions: 8 x 3.9 x 9.4 inches

Weight: 2.3 lbs

Safety: Reverse hookup protection

Cool Features: Scrolling prompt messages

Brand: DieHard

This DieHard 71321 is designed with intelligent charge technology, microprocessor controlled multi-stage charging for added precision, safety and battery life. Credit: Amazon.com

Upon using this DieHard 71321 Battery charger for the first time, you’ll notice it’s ridiculously easy to use! The scrolling text alone provides prompts like “connect clamps,” which guides you through the process. So really, this is as plug & play as a charger gets!

What’s also nice is that the Diehard 71321 is loaded with options for its price range. It’s on the cheaper end of the spectrum. Yet you still get 12V/6V charging options. And if that’s not enough, it’s also an automatic charger.

Speaking of automatic, this battery will detect whether it’s connected to a 12V or 6V battery on its own. We even tried 30 different batteries, and this charger got it right 30/30 times. So again, this is as plug & play as chargers get.

CTEK (56-158) MULTI US 3300 is suitable for use with household vehicles. Credit: Amazon.com

This time around, CTEK offers an amazing 7A amperage. Overall, this allows for some super fast charges. Going from zero, the typical car battery took us about 11 hours to get to full. So it’ll have no problems powering up your batteries!

Also, the CTEK (56-158) charger opts for 3 modes for all your charging needs. The motorcycle mode is ideal for batteries under 14 Ah. But for most of our cars, we found the car mode got the job done just fine. And of course, the snowflake is great for cold weather. Really, each picture speaks for itself here. So there’s no guesswork!

Going back to that snowflake mode, it’s not just for winters. As it turns out, it’s also there for charging most AGM batteries out there. We tested an Optima RedTop over the summer in a 110-degree garage. And guess what? ZERO problems breathing some new life into the battery! So it’s definitely reliable for AGMs in any climate

What’s it Used For?

Which Chargers Reign on Top?

After reading our reviews, it’s probably apparent that not all chargers are created equal. And this is fine, since everything that made our list definitely fills its own role in a garage!

But let’s be honest. We all know that some of these chargers are able to inch ahead when it comes to performance. So, if you’re looking for the absolute best, be sure to add these battery chargers to your radar!

You simply can’t beat the basics! And that’s exactly what this charger from Battery Tender delivers!

Most batteries won’t require a copious amount of amps to charge. So why pay extra for power you don’t need? Instead, buy one of the most affordable and functional chargers on the market! For most buyers, this is more than enough to get the job done right!

Honestly, it’s hard to pass up a quality charger set that gives you 2 for the price of 1. But if that’s not enough, both of these chargers take up a minimal amount of space. So they’re super easy to mount to the wall of your garage or trailer. And if that’s not enough, you’ll get all the power you need to charge most car batteries out there!

In truth, this is easily the best charger for trickling your AGM batteries. Plus, its resistance to the elements only helps its case! Seriously, cold, hot, rain, snow: it’s all fine for this charger! And if that’s not enough, this is one of the easiest chargers you’ll ever use!

Pick Up Your Battery Charger Today!

Winter is just around the corner. That means your show cars will go to sleep for the cold season as the snow and frigid weather enter the air. So why delay buying a battery for them? After all, don’t you want to drive them the instant the sun pops out again?

Either way you look at it, a battery charger is an essential tool for car maintenance. So be sure to buy yours today! And don’t be afraid to consult our guide as many times as you need to make the best choice for you.